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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29969718">things take time, you told me once</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteberryx/pseuds/whiteberryx'>whiteberryx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5 Times, F/F, Pre-Series, Season 3, ghost - Freeform, literally the whole reason for this fic, post season 12, season 13, season 6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 03:01:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,688</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29969718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteberryx/pseuds/whiteberryx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Alex and Casey crossed paths.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexandra Cabot/Casey Novak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title via Delaney Davidson's Time Has Gone.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>May, law school</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Can I get you anything else?” Casey asked the blonde sitting alone in the corner. She looked familiar, but Casey couldn’t place her. She guessed she’d seen her around campus, but when she took a closer look at the other girl’s pile of textbooks, she realized she was another law student.</p><p>The blonde checked her mug and frowned. “Another Americano, please,” she said, looking distressed at the fact that she was out of coffee. </p><p>“Of course,” Casey said. “I don’t want to pry, but are you enjoying Antitrust?” </p><p>“Enjoy is a relative term,” the blonde said. </p><p>Casey chuckled. “Of course. I’ll go get your Americano,” she said, excusing herself. When she came back, the blonde had shut the textbook she had been looking at earlier — it looked like she was also in a criminal class — and had cracked open the text for the aforementioned antitrust class. </p><p>“Here’s your drink,” Casey said, setting the mug down. </p><p>“Thanks,” the blonde mumbled, clearly already deep into her reading. </p><p>She didn’t leave for another two and a half hours, but she left a good tip, so Casey couldn’t complain.</p><p>*</p><p>The mysterious blonde showed up three more times over the next couple weeks, and Casey wondered why she studied at the cafe as opposed to … well, anywhere else. While there never was a lineup out the door, it was loud most of the time, with large groups, a noisy kitchen, and constant foot traffic. The blonde seemed unbothered, however, and continued to study.</p><p>The fifth time Casey saw her, it was only the second time she had sat in her section. Today, she was deep in Law and Neuroscience.</p><p>“Better or worse than Antitrust?” Casey asked.</p><p>Alex looked up and smiled briefly. “Way better. I’m only taking that for my parents’ sake,” she said. “You’re in law, too, I assume.”</p><p>Casey nodded. “Yeah. I’m Casey.”</p><p>“Alex Cabot,” the blonde said, and it clicked for Casey then. Alex Cabot had something of a reputation at the school; crazy smart, and from crazy money. She looked pretty normal to Casey though, in faded jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt. </p><p>“Nice to meet you,” Casey said, trying to give no indication that Alex’s reputation preceded her. “Another Americano?”</p><p>“Please,” Alex said, looking grateful. </p><p>*</p><p>They went through this routine for the rest of term, Alex studying and Casey supplying Alex with an obscene amount of caffeine. Casey tried not to bother Alex with too many questions, but on the off chance she had more than one, however, Alex was more than happy to answer. They were forming a bit of a friendship, saying hi to each other on campus whenever they bumped into each other, and Casey found Alex in her section of the cafe more and more frequently.</p><p>It was coming to the end of term, and Alex was getting increasingly stressed. She was downing coffee at a rate Casey hadn’t seen before. “Am I going to need to make you a decaf?” Casey asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you drink this much coffee before.”</p><p>Alex glared at her, as if the suggestion offended her personally. “If you do, I will personally write a complaint card,” she threatened, though they both knew it was in jest.</p><p>“Hey, I need this job!” Casey protested. “Fine, fine. More caffeine, coming right up.” </p><p>Alex ended up staying until closing time, and Casey had to be the one to kick her out. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Casey said with a straight face.</p><p>Alex sighed, shoving a stack of papers into a folder. “Please, no,” she said, even though she was packing up. “I’m not ready for Taxation.”</p><p>“I’m sure you are,” Casey said, knowing that the exam was coming up tomorrow. “But this is your last exam, you’ll be done with law school forever.”</p><p>“True,” Alex conceded. She stopped packing up to look at Casey. “Hey, If I don’t see you, good luck on the rest of your exams.”</p><p>“Thanks, Alex. You’re going to crush it tomorrow,” Casey replied.</p><p>“A girl can hope,” Alex said, and then she left the cafe with one last wave, Casey not expecting to see her again.</p><p>*</p><p>Casey did end up seeing her, though. Casey’s friends had dragged her to a bar a couple nights later, insisting that having a drink at home did not constitute celebrating the end of exams. Casey rarely went out, usually alternating between working, working out and class, but after more than a few drinks, she had to admit she was having a good time.</p><p>“Casey!”</p><p>Casey turned at the voice and found a very smiley Alex Cabot approaching her. Casey didn’t think she’d ever seen Alex smile this widely, and she figured that Alex had really cut loose, given that she had finished her last law school exam. </p><p>“Hi, Alex,” Casey grinned back. “Good to see Taxation didn’t kill you.”</p><p>“No way, I killed it,” Alex said. “Can I buy you a drink?”</p><p>Casey shrugged, now suddenly aware that her friends were watching them with interest. “Sure,” she said. Alex strolled off to the bar, but before Casey could follow her, Casey felt her one of her friends grab her shoulder.</p><p>“Oh my god, Alex Cabot is buying you a drink!” </p><p>Casey wrenched her arm out of her grip. “She’s just being nice.”</p><p>“She’s only been sitting in your section all term!”</p><p>Casey rolled her eyes. “It’s just a drink.”</p><p>“You’ve been mooning after her all term, too!”</p><p>“I have not,” Casey protested, even though it wasn’t exactly true. She’d have to be blind to not see how gorgeous Alex was, and she was always nice to Casey. Maybe she was nursing a bit of a crush, but what did it matter? It’s not like she’d have any chance with Alex anyways.</p><p>Leaving her friends, Casey joined Alex at the bar to see two tequila shots waiting for them. “You’re really letting loose,” Casey observed, taking the salt shaker from Alex.</p><p>“Enjoying my freedom while I have it,” Alex said. She licked the salt off the back of her hand, took the shot, then bit into the lime wedge delicately. Casey took her own shot, wincing as she bit into the lime. Tequila wasn’t her favorite, but she wasn’t going to turn down Alex’s offer.</p><p>“I’ll see you around,” Alex said loudly, making sure she could be heard over the loud music that started playing. With a squeeze to Casey’s upper arm, she disappeared into the crowd.</p><p>Casey found her friends on the dance floor, who were all looking at her with interest. It was clear that they had been watching her and Alex this entire time. </p><p>“She likes you!”</p><p>Casey felt herself flush, and it wasn’t from the alcohol. “It was just a shot,” she said, starting to sway with the music so she didn’t look like a total idiot standing stock-still on the dance floor. She still carried herself like a college athlete, more swagger than grace, but she could manage to stay on beat.</p><p>Much to Casey’s chagrin, no one would leave her alone about Alex. “Cabot at three o’clock,” another one of her friends said, laughing. Casey couldn’t resist a peek. Of course Alex was a good dancer, her hips swaying perfectly in time. </p><p>“Go for it. Dare you!”</p><p>“We’re not ten anymore!” Casey squawked. Her friends playfully shoved her out of their dancing circle and Casey sighed, knowing that if she didn’t try, she’d be teased all night. </p><p>Without another word, Casey walked towards Alex, praying that either the ground would swallow her whole or that Alex would get swept away from under her nose and that would be the end of that. Neither of those options happened, and before she knew it, Casey was stuck between interrupting or looking like a complete creep. Trying to make sure her face wasn’t stuck in a grimace, Casey put one hand lightly on Alex’s shoulder to get her attention.</p><p>Alex turned immediately. Her mouth was open, likely in mid-protest, but when she recognized Casey, she grinned instead.</p><p>“Dance?” was all that Casey could muster.</p><p>Alex nodded, and pulled Casey’s hands around to rest on her hips. It wasn’t too hard to find the rhythm; Casey let Alex do the work, and she followed willingly, swaying as Alex rocked in front of her, her back pressed tightly to Casey’s front.</p><p>The music shifted; Alex turned in Casey’s arms, fingers hooking into her belt loops to keep her close as they danced. “I’m glad I ran into you tonight,” Alex said over the music, her eyes flicking towards Casey’s mouth before coming back up to meet Casey’s eyes.</p><p>“Uh-huh,” Casey said dumbly, eyes stuck on Alex’s. </p><p>Alex leaned in, pausing just before her lips touched Casey’s. Casey closed the distance, barely brushing against Alex’s for a chaste kiss. It didn’t take long, though, for the kiss to deepen, suggestive enough that Casey clutched at Alex’s shirt with her fist, making sure she wasn’t going anywhere. </p><p>Casey wasn’t sure who pulled away first, but in one minute, she was blindly following Alex off the dance floor, and the next she was pinning Alex to a wall in a dark corner, kissing her again. Despite their position, Alex was very much in control of their kissing, one hand around Casey’s neck, the other on her hip.</p><p>“Want to get out of here?” Alex asked, low in Casey’s ear.</p><p>*</p><p>Casey groaned as she woke up, the sun already too bright for comfort. She turned away from the window to try and hide, but it was no use.</p><p>She was about to roll the rest of her body over and pull the pillow over her head, but she realized two things that stopped her mid-roll: one, she was naked, and two, there was someone in bed with her. When she had mustered up enough energy to roll over, she was face to face with Alex Cabot.</p><p>“Good morning,” Alex said, voice scratchy.</p><p>“Morning,” Casey groaned, unable to say much else. Trying to sit up, she groaned as it was too much effort. She settled for rolling onto her back and shielding her eyes from the light. </p><p>Casey felt the bed shift, then some rustling; she guessed Alex was trying to find her clothes. Managing to sit up on her second try, Casey pulled the sheets up to her chest. Alex was mostly dressed now, shimmying into her jeans and doing up the zipper. “Coffee?” she asked, unsure of what else to do. It’d probably take her a few minutes to drag herself to the kitchen, but she felt like she should offer.</p><p>Alex shook her head, rubbing away the smeared mascara under her eyes. “I should go,” she said. She gently kissed Casey on the forehead, then smoothed down some of her bedhead, before letting herself out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>December, Season 3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Casey sipped at her vodka soda, already calculating when she could leave. It was the DA’s office Christmas party, and though she and the rest of the more junior ADAs in White Collar had pledged to stay together, the lure of dancing was too strong for some. Casey, usually not one for dancing, had opted to stay at a table and nurse a drink, not wanting to make her first Christmas party at the DA’s office her last.</p><p>“Not a dancer?”</p><p>“Hey, Alex,” Casey said, sliding the chair out beside her with her foot so Alex could sit down. “Good to see you.” </p><p>Every time Casey saw Alex, she was reminded of their hookup that night at the end of the school year. She wondered sometimes if Alex ever thought about it. It had been all Casey could think about for two weeks afterwards, but since Alex had gone off to New York practically immediately after graduation, they’d lost touch for a while.</p><p>The thoughts, and the crush, eventually faded with time, replaced by Charlie, and then the aftermath. Casey didn’t think of Alex for a long time after that, not until she ran into Alex her first week in White Collar, four years later. All it had taken was a simple hello for Casey to feel like she was back at school again. They’d come a long way since law school, but Alex was still all drive and poise and killer legs, and Casey was helpless to resist.</p><p>“Good to see you, too. Merry Christmas, Casey,” Alex said, slipping gracefully into the offered chair. </p><p>“Merry Christmas,” Casey responded, taking a look at Alex in her perfectly fitted red dress. </p><p>“How’s White Collar?” Alex asked, sipping on her own drink. </p><p>“Keeps me busy. Where are you these days?”</p><p>“I’m still at SVU,” Alex explained. “Stayed on after the Morris Commission.” </p><p>Casey nodded, trying to hold back a grimace. “Heavy stuff,” she commented. </p><p>Alex sighed. Casey understood; SVU wasn’t really Christmas party material, even if work talk was the norm. “My gin consumption has gone up significantly since I started,” she admitted instead, holding her now-empty glass up.</p><p>“Let me get you another,” Casey said. Standing up, she pulled at the hem of her dress, making sure it hadn’t ridden up too high while she was sitting. It didn’t take long to get refills for both of them, and when Casey turned back, she was pleased to see Alex was still alone. </p><p>Casey delivered Alex’s drink to her, and they clinked glasses in a silent toast before drinking. “No date tonight?” Casey asked.</p><p>Alex shook her head. “I don’t date much these days,” she said. “What about you?”</p><p>Casey hadn’t really dated anyone since Charlie, and after Charlie, had lost all appetite for dating. However, that wasn’t really a conversation she wanted to get into at a holiday party, especially with Alex Cabot, of all people. “Same here. I barely have enough energy to work and something that resembles a social life. I’m not even that successful at the latter.”</p><p>“Shame,” Alex said. “Here I was hoping I could live vicariously through someone.”</p><p>“Yeah, not me, that’s for sure. If only I had the energy of any one of my colleagues,” Casey said, gesturing vaguely at the dance floor, “I might feel like I could even go to the gym more than once a month.”</p><p>Alex gave Casey’s arms a long look. “Doesn’t look like you’re skipping workouts these days,” she said.</p><p>“Blessed with good musculature, I suppose,” Casey said, though she couldn’t deny the little spark of heat in the pit of her stomach. She’d had a few drinks, not enough to be drunk, but apparently enough to think that Alex was hitting on her.</p><p>“We can’t all be so lucky,” Alex shrugged.</p><p>“Counselor, are you fishing for compliments?” Casey teased. “You do look pretty great tonight yourself.” </p><p>Alex shook her head, laughing a bit as she took a sip of her drink. “While that wasn’t my intention, thank you.” Alex had curled her hair for the occasion, and Casey was momentarily distracted by the light reflecting off her hair. It wasn’t fair, really, when Casey thought about it; Alex could’ve shown up wearing a burlap sack and not done her hair and still look good. </p><p>“Casey Novak!” a voice bellowed from the dance floor. “Get over here!”</p><p>Snapped out of her thoughts about Alex’s hair, Casey held up her drink and gestured at the other woman, trying to indicate to Justin, one of the other ADAs in white collar, that she was busy. Justin shook his head and beckoned for Casey to come over and dance with them once more.</p><p>“Duty calls, Casey,” Alex smirked, nudging her under the table with her foot. </p><p>Casey stood up, resigned to the fact that she was, in fact, going to have to join some of her colleagues in dancing. “I don’t suppose you’re up for tagging along.”</p><p>Alex laughed, a real laugh, and the spark in Casey’s gut flared up again. “Nice try. I’ll see you around,” she said, raising her glass to Casey as Casey’s colleagues came over to drag her away.</p><p>*</p><p>One dance turned into several, and Casey had only managed to escape her colleagues by using the washroom. Re-pinning her hair in the mirror, she wondered if she would be able to make her departure now as she had fulfilled the prerequisite dance, if one could call swaying to the music and trying not to look like a complete idiot dancing. </p><p>The door swung open, and Alex came in. “Hiding?” Alex teased, putting down her clutch so she could wash her hands.</p><p>Casey shook her head. “No. Just thinking about making my escape.”</p><p>Alex met Casey’s eyes in their reflection in the mirror. “Leaving so soon?”</p><p>Casey shrugged, re-focusing on pinning her hair. Something about Alex’s eye contact, even through it wasn’t direct, was slightly unsettling. The spark from earlier was back, and Casey wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. “I started thinking about when to leave a while ago. I’d be much happier out of this and into sweatpants,” Casey said, gesturing to her dress and heels. </p><p>Alex raised an eyebrow. “Not even an open bar can keep you?”</p><p>Casey shook her head. “I’m usually good after a couple. Not a big drinker, either.”</p><p>“Maybe the DA’s office should get better food,” Alex said. </p><p>Casey nodded in agreement. “Open bar or good food, pick one.”</p><p>Alex nodded, drying her hands. “You missed a piece in the back,” she said, walking behind Casey. “May I?”</p><p>“Be my guest,” Casey said. </p><p>Alex stood behind Casey’s left shoulder, watching their reflection in the mirror. With her in taller heels, they were almost the same height. She unpinned a curl, then gathered it up with the stray lock of hair that Casey had missed before pinning it back in place. Letting her hand linger on Casey’s scalp, Alex then brushed her fingers down the nape of Casey’s neck. The gentle touch had the spark blossoming into full on heat, and Casey found her mouth suddenly dry.</p><p>“Alex,” Casey ventured, but she didn’t have anything else to say. They hadn’t been this close in a long time – not since their time at Harvard, in fact. </p><p>“Casey,” Alex murmured back. </p><p>Casey turned her head to look Alex in the eye, and not through the mirror. Alex’s face was oh so close, and though Casey didn’t know who closed the final millimetres, it didn’t matter. Alex’s lips touched hers gently, chastely at first, but when neither of them pulled away, the kiss turned heated. When they finally separated from one another, Casey found herself pinned between the sinks and Alex, one thigh between hers.</p><p>“You wanted to get out of here?” Alex asked, licking her lips. </p><p>Casey looked Alex in the eye again, and saw the familiar glimmer of want. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”</p><p>*</p><p>Alex’s bedroom was dim, the only illumination coming from a lamp on the far side of the room, but Casey didn’t need much light to admire the figure of Alex Cabot above her, leaning on the headboard for support. Eventually, she rolled off, flopping down as she caught her breath.</p><p>“Jesus, Casey,” Alex groaned.</p><p>Casey wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and pushed herself up, looking at Alex who was still lying flat on her back, though looking a bit more recovered than she had moments before. </p><p>“Yes?” Casey asked, putting on an air of innocence.</p><p>Alex’s laugh was a half-octave lower than normal, and Casey’s insides squirmed as Alex rolled back on top of her, pressing a kiss to her jaw. “You don’t get to play innocent, Novak,” she said. “Not after that.”</p><p>Casey laughed a bit, pulling Alex closer to her. “Alright, I won’t then,” she said, leaning in for a kiss.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>February, Season 6 (Ghost)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“She’s alive.”</p><p>Blood rushed to Casey’s ears as her stomach dropped. Cragen was still talking, but she wasn’t listening. All she could hear was the echo of Cragen’s voice. <i>She’s alive, she’s alive, she’s alive.</i> </p><p>Tension coiled in Casey’s chest as she thought back to the past year. The shock, the grief. Taking over for her in SVU, trying so hard to fill her shoes as best she could. Struggling. It had taken a while for her to find her footing with the squad. It didn’t help that she wasn’t Alex. </p><p>She had wondered, in the beginning, if Alex would have been happy to have her as her replacement. </p><p>Casey looked down at her desk, counting the lines of wood grain to try and keep it together. Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale. </p><p>The tightness eased a bit. </p><p>“She’s here,” Cragen said, and Casey snapped back to attention.</p><p>Cragen opened the door, and Agent Hammond and Alex came in, the latter striding in like nothing had changed and this was where she had always worked and she’d never been forced into witness protection. Casey’s eyes burned, and she blinked away the sudden wetness before lifting her head to see Alex Cabot, in the flesh, very much alive. She had grown out the bangs, and wasn’t wearing glasses, but other than that, she was very much the Alex Cabot Casey remembered.</p><p>“Casey,” she said quietly.</p><p>“Alex,” Casey returned. She was afraid that if she said anything else, she would start tearing up again. She stood up from her desk — mercifully, it wasn’t Alex’s office she had taken over — and walked around to the front, meeting Alex halfway into the room. Alex offered her a small smile, one that Casey knew was her real one.</p><p>This was real. She was here. Everything she could say that came to mind seemed trite. What do you say to a woman that endured what she had? </p><p>“Benson and Stabler are due here in five minutes,” Casey said instead, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand. There was a lot that had to go right today. “They’re not off the hook just yet.”</p><p>“They always did have a way of getting into trouble,” Alex replied, looking supremely unsurprised.</p><p>*</p><p>Casey sat back down after shutting the door behind Antonio. She knew the eight-year-old was scared, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to encourage him by reminding him the case hinged on his testimony. She just hoped Detective Sandoval could help him take the stand the next day.</p><p>Alex exhaled, puffing out her cheeks as she watched Casey sit down across from her. “We should keep preparing my testimony.”</p><p>Casey knew it was Alex’s way of making herself feel better, more in control. She also knew, though, that Alex was ready. “You know, we’ve gone over all my questions. I think you’re ready.”</p><p>“Are you?” </p><p>Casey tamped down on her initial reaction to snipe back at Alex. She could tell the other woman was anxious, and it was just her natural reaction, combined with the stress of a frightened Antonio.</p><p>Alex winced almost immediately, catching herself before Casey could say anything. “Casey, I’m sorry. That was out of line.” </p><p>Casey nodded, relieved that Alex had acknowledged the comment. “It’s got to be hard to be on that side of the desk.”</p><p>Alex nodded, looking away. Tomorrow was going to be a tough day, they both knew it, and it had just been made doubly as hard by their discussion with Antonio. </p><p>Casey paused. “If Antonio doesn’t testify, we’re screwed.”</p><p>“I know.” There was no snap in Alex’s voice, only resignation. Casey was sure that no amount of witness protection could take the prosecutor out of Alex, and right now, she looked like she was running through all the angles once more.</p><p>Casey got up from her chair and went to sit beside Alex, crossing her legs at the knee. “If you want to go over your testimony again, we can.”</p><p>Alex shook her head. “I never went into a courtroom without a plan. There are so many variables to this. Too many variables.” Alex laced her fingers together, as if trying to keep her hands occupied. She didn’t have to say much more; as prosecutors, they both knew the amount of unknowns they were walking into.</p><p>“We’ll get him.”</p><p>“Casey, you know you can’t promise anything.” Alex’s retort was gentle, but it was true. </p><p>“We’re ready.” Casey kept her voice steady, answering Alex’s earlier question. Even so, Casey knew Alex was right; there were so many variables, and Antonio’s frightened state had only added another. </p><p>Alex gave her a sidelong glance, expression indecipherable. Casey had to hand it to Alex; when lesser people would have crumbled, Alex still kept up her game face. </p><p>“I can’t believe you’re here,” Casey continued softly. “I—”</p><p>“I had to,” Alex cut her off, voice cracking. Her face remained impassive, however. “I lost too much. I had to do this.”</p><p>Casey reached out and put her hand on Alex’s leg, squeezing her thigh gently. When that wasn’t rebuffed, she adjusted, reaching up and curling her arm around Alex’s shoulders. It was only then did Alex let her body drop, and she leaned into Casey.</p><p>“I can’t let him get away with it,” Alex whispered. “I just can’t.”</p><p>Casey turned her head and kissed the top of Alex’s forehead. Casual touches weren’t really the way they communicated, but Casey couldn’t think of any other way to be there for Alex in the moment. When Alex relaxed further, sagging into Casey, she knew she had done the right thing. She tightened her grip on Alex slightly, making sure she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.</p><p>They sat there for a while, Alex leaning against Casey. The blinds weren’t shut, but Casey couldn’t find it in herself to care.</p><p>“I live in Wisconsin,” Alex said quietly, unprompted. “It’s so quiet, you could hear a pin drop outside in the night. Every noise I hear, every creak my house makes, I wonder, has he found me? And now he’s here.”</p><p>Casey held on to Alex a little tighter.</p><p>It could have been five or fifteen minutes later, Casey didn’t know, but there was a knock, then the door opened. Alex jumped, startled out of Casey’s embrace. It was only Hammond, though, ready to take Alex to her room for the night, where Stabler was waiting for her. </p><p>“You’re ready,” Casey said quietly as they both stood. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Casey felt Alex’s hand brush hers, just enough to be deliberate. </p><p>Watching the two of them go, Casey sat back down and sighed. She had a trial to prep for, and she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping well that night.</p><p>*</p><p>“Guilty on all counts,” Casey said, walking with Elliot and the rest of the squad towards the debriefing room where they were going to celebrate. Casey wasn’t terribly big on celebrating cases, since it was her job to win — it wasn’t like she cured cancer or anything — but this one would hold a special place for a long, long time. </p><p>“I never doubted it’d be anything else,” Elliot said, squeezing Casey on the shoulder as they walked. Despite the comforting gesture, she was still full of nervous energy; there was still the penalty phase to complete. Only once that was done would she feel like she had truly finished the job.</p><p>Champagne was already cracked when the door opened. Instead of Alex, who they had been expecting, Agent Hammond appeared in the doorway.</p><p>“Where’s Alex?” Olivia asked.</p><p>“Marshalls are moving her and Antonio to new identities. She asked me to say goodbye.”</p><p>Of course she wouldn’t have been able to stay, even to say goodbye in person. She had risked so much to do this, and now she was uprooting what life she had, again, in the pursuit of justice. Even though they won, Alex had lost, again. </p><p>Swallowing hard, Casey put down her cup of champagne. She had a penalty phase to prepare for.</p><p>“I’ll see you all later,” she said quietly, picking up her bag and heading back to the office. She thought she heard Elliot call after her, but she didn’t turn around.</p><p>*</p><p>Casey rifled through her papers at her desk, looking for the notes she had already prepared. She knew exactly what she was going to present, what she was going to be seeking for as punishment — consecutive life sentences — but it never hurt to review, again, to make sure that she was ready. </p><p><i>Are you?</i> echoed in Casey’s mind as she read through the notes. She knew Alex had found her angle, laid her trap, and that was a big reason for the win, but she had been ready. And now, she had to be ready again, for Alex, or Emily, or whomever she was going to be next, wherever she ended up. </p><p>Lifting her head to stretch her neck, Casey’s eyes fell on the Harvard plaque on the wall. Not for the first time, she was reminded of Alex when she looked at it. Before, she’d thought about how bad her luck was, that her law school crush was working two floors away from her. Later, she’d thought about how Alex’s life had been tragically cut short. Now, she knew she’d be praying for her safety.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This episode is pretty much the entire reason this fic exists.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>May, Post-Season 12</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Casey sank into her desk chair, closing her eyes with a sigh of relief. She’d passed her probation. After taking on one SVU case and two homicides, plus pinch-hitting in White Collar, she was notified officially half an hour ago that she was off probation and back in her previous role of senior ADA. She hadn’t been given a formal division assignment yet, but that didn’t matter. She was back.</p><p>Even though she hadn’t been sure about returning during her case with SVU, she’d found she really hit her stride again when she was covering for Homicide. It had finally felt good again, getting back in the courtroom. She’d found her footing, and although she knew she shouldn’t get too comfortable too quickly, being off probation and back on the job was a victory she was going to take. </p><p>Her new office was a little smaller, but with a lot more natural light, which was appreciated. She still hadn’t finished unpacking, which she supposed she could do now, given her reinstated status. Before she could get up, however, she heard a knock on the door. Casey looked up, only to be greeted by the sight of Alex Cabot. </p><p>“Alex,” Casey said, surprised. The last she’d heard, Alex had been prosecuting for the International Criminal Court. </p><p>“Casey,” Alex returned. She leaned against the doorframe. “Thought I’d say hi. Good to see you back in the office.”</p><p>Casey nodded. “Officially off of probation as of today." </p><p>“Do you have an assignment yet?” Alex asked.</p><p>Casey shook her head. “No, I don’t. What brings you here?”</p><p>“My leave is done. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.” </p><p>Knowing how stretched the DA’s office was, having more ADAs on hand could only be a good thing. “The office needs all the ADAs it can get. I covered SVU, Homicide and White Collar in the past two months,” Casey said. </p><p>“They didn’t make your rejoining easy,” Alex mused. “Did you want to get lunch sometime? It would be nice to catch up. You can tell me just how many new faces there are.”</p><p>“Too many,” Casey said ruefully, belatedly noticing the familiar clench in the pit of her stomach. “Lunch sounds good, though.”</p><p>*</p><p>Casey stood in front of her dresser a few days later, trying to figure out what to wear. She and Alex had planned for lunch for today, but Casey was still in a towel and only had fifteen minutes before she had to leave to meet Alex.</p><p>As Casey pulled a sweater over her head, she wondered why she had even said yes to Alex. She didn’t have a lot to talk about, after spending three years away from the DA’s office. The private consulting she had done had been uneventful, at best. She barely knew half of the new faces in the office. Alex wasn’t the most outgoing of conversationalists, either. But she found that she had been unable to say no to Alex, and that was the crux of the issue. She was in her thirties, for crying out loud. Whatever infatuation that chose to flare up whenever the blonde was around for more than five seconds had to be dealt with, and fast, especially that Alex was going to be coming back to the office soon. </p><p>Casey didn’t know what it was about Alex, but somehow the blonde had gotten under her skin somewhere along the way and just never left. It was hard to call it a passing infatuation, given how long ago law school was. It wasn’t just a simple itch that could be scratched, either; they’d done so, twice. It was...</p><p>“Ridiculous,” Casey said, then realized she had said that out loud. She sighed as she pulled on a pair of jeans. It was time to get this lunch over with.</p><p>*</p><p>Alex didn’t talk much about her time at the ICC at lunch, which Casey didn’t mind. Talking about sex crimes, even between two prosecutors, was hard enough off the clock; to talk about them in places like the Congo was exponentially more difficult. Despite Casey’s earlier worry that they wouldn’t have much to talk about, they were able to fill the conversation with office gossip and news about law school acquaintances. </p><p>“So, how many new names am I going to have to learn?” Alex asked, sipping from her post-lunch coffee. </p><p>Casey shrugged and rolled her eyes. “You can learn with me. I didn’t know half the faces in the hallway to begin with, and I still don’t. I don’t think I recognized a single White Collar ADA when I was covering arraignments.”</p><p>Alex puffed out her cheeks, raising her eyebrows. “That’s some turnover.”</p><p>“You’re telling me. That wasn’t even the worst of it.” Casey paused, wondering how much she wanted to tell Alex. She decided to go for it. “My first case back was SVU. I thought it was going to be easier than it was, kind of like riding a bike, y’know?”</p><p>Alex nodded along. </p><p>“Partway through the trial, I didn’t think I had it in me anymore. The case went south, fast. Even though we salvaged a deal out of it, it was just…” Casey trailed off, stirring cream into her coffee. </p><p>“They all do that, it seems,” Alex said. “When was the last time there was a straightforward cae?”</p><p>Casey stifled a laugh; this was eerily similar to the conversation she had had at the bar with Elliot. All she was missing was a whiskey. “I thought I was going to be toast. If I lost, I was done. I was sure I was going to walk away.”</p><p>“You’re a great prosecutor,” Alex said. “Always have been. You got back on the bike.”</p><p>Casey smiled, recognizing the compliment. The little spark lit up in her stomach again. She hid her face behind her coffee, trying not to look too pleased. “I’m glad it worked out, otherwise I don’t know what I would’ve done.”</p><p>“You would’ve found something.” Alex seemed to be more optimistic than Casey was used to, but she supposed it was easier in hypotheticals. </p><p>“At least you have faith in me,” Casey replied, self-deprecatingly. </p><p>“Someone has to, apparently,” Alex said, giving Casey a small smile.</p><p>*</p><p>Two weeks after their lunch, Casey saw Alex again, except this time it was her first day back at Hogan. “You ready, Cabot?” Casey called up the steps. </p><p>Alex turned. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, shifting the weight of two boxes stacked on top of each other. </p><p>“Let me take that,” Casey said, hurrying up the stairs to pluck the top box off. </p><p>“Thanks. I’m on the fourth floor now,” Alex said. </p><p>Casey scrunched up her nose. The fourth floor had no view on three sides, trapped by buildings. “You could share with me on seventh, but I’m not sure there’s enough room for both of us and whatever is in this box,” Casey said, shifting the weight as they walked to the elevators. </p><p>“They’re just books!” Alex protested.</p><p>“More like an entire library,” Casey said, setting the box on the floor of the elevator.</p><p>Alex huffed, obviously without a comeback, and Casey smothered a grin. It felt nice to have a workplace friend again, even if that friend was barely more than an long-standing acquaintance that worked as much, if not more, than she did. Casey also wasn’t sure if it was normal for workplace friends to have a sporadic history of sleeping together a couple times in their twenties, but at this point, the familiar face outweighed any potential downside. </p><p>Casey followed Alex out of the elevator to the empty office at the end of the corridor and set down the box on the table. </p><p>“Thanks. I’m glad you caught me outside, otherwise I probably would have dropped it.”</p><p>“No problem. You can buy me coffee later,” Casey teased.</p><p>Alex’s expression, however, was perfectly serious. “Count on it. I’ve got to go meet Cutter, but I’ll see you later.”</p><p>Casey waved and left, unable to fight the fluttering feeling she was now getting used to experiencing whenever she saw, or thought about, Alex.</p><p>She was screwed.</p><p>*</p><p>The next morning, Casey found a still-hot coffee on her desk with a little sticky note beside it. She recognized the cup from the best coffee shop in a three-block radius, and she felt a little smile creep up on her face before she could stop it. </p><p>Casey took a sip, unsurprised it was made just the way she liked it. Even though she had a feeling that she already knew who the coffee fairy was, Casey read the note.</p><p>
  <i>I’m a woman of my word -A</i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>February, Season 13</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Casey paced up and down the hall, stretching her legs and back out. She had been sitting hunched at her desk for the better part of the afternoon, going over witness prep, and now it was looking like she would be working for the better part of the evening as well to finish up. She was debating if she should order dinner and pick it up or get takeout and work at home when she noticed the door open to Alex’s office, light flooding into the hallway.</p><p>When she got to the doorway, she saw the other woman at her desk, blazer off and hunched over a file. “Hey,” Casey said, knocking lightly on the doorframe.</p><p>Alex looked up. “Hey,” she said. “What brings you here?”</p><p>“Saw your light on. I was going to order dinner,” Casey answered, Alex’s presence seemingly making her decision for her. “Are you going to be here a while?”</p><p>Gesturing at the large stack of files, Alex nodded. Her caseload looked immense, possibly the most in the office, and Casey couldn’t hold back a wince.</p><p>“Feel like Thai?” Casey asked, waving her phone.</p><p>Alex checked her watch and groaned, realizing the time. “Sure, that would be good.” Casey started to dial as Alex rooted around in her desk, pulling out some cash. “Green curry, please.”</p><p>Casey finished ordering, then hung up. “Won’t be long,” she said, waving off the cash that Alex had left out for her. “You can get it next time.”</p><p>“Next time?” Alex asked, though Casey was pretty sure she was only teasing.</p><p>“You and I are usually the only ones here at this time,” Casey said hastily, hoping she wasn’t blushing. “I figure it’s inevitable.”</p><p>“True. Thank you for dinner,” Alex said. “What’s got you stuck here tonight?”</p><p>“Getting some witness prep ready for tomorrow. White Collar needed some help since they just got a couple of new juniors.”</p><p>Alex made a noise of sympathy. “Good luck with that.”</p><p>Casey yawned. “I’m going to grab a coffee while I’m out too, do you want anything?”</p><p>“No, I’m good,” Alex replied.  </p><p>“See you in a bit,” Casey said, then left to go get her coat to make the short walk to pick up food and coffee.</p><p>Casey inhaled deeply as she stepped outside, disregarding the smell of the city. The winter evening air felt good on her face and in her lungs, waking her up a bit. She had moved offices again, and though it was larger than the one she had while she was on probation, the HVAC was a little moody and it was always a touch on the warm side. </p><p>The walk to the restaurant wasn’t far, but it did give her enough time to think about her brief conversation with Alex. Of course she had to trip over herself and assume they would have dinner in the future at some point. Casey couldn’t help it, though; despite seeing each other maybe five minutes a week, her fascination with Alex hadn’t gone away. It was cliche and a little juvenile, perhaps, being smitten with a colleague, but Alex had stayed under Casey’s skin all these years, and it didn’t look like she was leaving anytime soon.</p><p>Casey was still mentally replaying her gaffe from earlier as she walked into Alex’s office with dinner and her coffee. Plunking the bag down on the table Alex had across from her desk, Casey took out Alex’s food and brought it over to the other woman.</p><p>“Real food,” Alex sighed in relief. “Thanks again.”</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Casey said, going to pick up her own food and coffee to go back to her own office.</p><p>“Where are you going?” Alex asked, standing up at her desk. “Stay here and eat with me. I could use the break.”</p><p>Casey hadn’t expected this. “Sure,” she said, taking off her coat and sitting back down. Alex joined her at the table, pushing aside some folders so they had more room. </p><p>Alex delicately spooned curry over her rice as Casey tried to make sure she didn’t flip anything out of the box with her chopsticks. “What keeps you here tonight, anyways?” Casey asked.</p><p>“Motions,” Alex said, rolling her eyes. “At this point, Langan might as well send in a motion to exclude the entire case.”</p><p>“SVU or Homicide?” Casey asked.</p><p>“Homicide,” Alex replied. “I haven’t had a SVU case for a few weeks.”</p><p>“Same,” Casey said. “I think Hardwicke is covering again, but I’m not sure.”</p><p>Alex made a noise of acknowledgement. “Regardless, they’ll need someone full-time soon. I don’t know who it’ll be though.”</p><p>“Cutter hasn’t said anything to me, but if I keep getting pulled into wrangling the juniors over in White Collar, I’ll end up there sooner rather than later.”</p><p>Alex raised her eyebrows. “Is that what you want?”</p><p>“I’m not sure yet,” Casey answered. “It would be nice to have some stability, though.”</p><p>The two of them lapsed into semi-comfortable silence, Casey concentrating on making sure she didn’t drop noodles on herself. She also kept an eye on Alex, making sure that she was still eating. When she was done, Casey would go back to her office. No need to overstay her welcome.</p><p>*</p><p>Eventually, to Casey’s minor chagrin, their dinners became a routine. It wasn’t that she was opposed to spending time with Alex, even though it was just takeout when they were the last ones in the office. It was, however, making her long standing crush bigger by the day. Having a work friend was too good to let go of, though, someone who was available for celebration or commiseration. Casey was determined to preserve their developing friendship.</p><p>Tonight, Alex was in Casey’s office, the two of them splitting Chinese at the table that was generally reserved for files. This was the fifth dinner — not that Casey was counting — but the first time they had shared food instead of getting their own meals. Casey had been so frustrated with the junior ADAs in White Collar that Alex had made the executive decision for dinner.</p><p>Alex had shared a few stories from when she was a bureau chief with Homicide, and the amount of insanity she dealt with did make Casey feel a bit better. “And you didn’t want to high tail it out of there after? I mean, you’ve done pretty much everything you can do in this office without being the DA,” Casey said.</p><p>“It’s partially why I decided to see if being an EADA was the right thing for me to do,” Alex said. “Trying to find out what I really wanted.” </p><p>Casey nodded, and the two of them lapsed into silence. They had finished eating already, but they still sat at the table, empty takeout boxes between them. Their workplace friendship was getting comfortable; if all Casey could ask of Alex was friendship, then that was what it would have to be.</p><p>As she started to fold the box closest to her, Casey noticed Alex was watching her. Looking up, Casey raised her eyebrow in a silent query.</p><p>“Do you want to get dinner sometime?” Alex asked, apropos of nothing.</p><p>Casey didn’t know what she had expected Alex to say, but it certainly wasn’t that. “You mean we’re allowed to eat dinner outside of the office?” she tried to joke, willing the sudden burst of fluttering in the pit of her stomach to go away. </p><p>Alex laughed a little, but it was fragile. “A real dinner, Casey,” she said. “A Saturday night dinner.”</p><p>Casey couldn’t believe this was happening. “Like a date?” she asked, needing to be sure.</p><p>“A date,” Alex confirmed, looking, if Casey wasn’t mistaken, just the tiniest bit nervous. </p><p>Biting her lip, Casey tried to keep a straight face; she didn’t want to ruin the chance she was being given by laughing in Alex’s face at the sheer timing of it all. “I’d really like that, actually.”</p><p>Alex smiled, and for a split second, she wasn’t Alexandra Cabot, prosecutor extraordinaire, but that third year student that had bought Casey a tequila shot at the bar all those years ago. Casey couldn’t help but smile back, just as widely.</p><p>“Great,” Alex said, standing up and picking up the boxes that Casey had folded up. “Do you like Italian?”</p><p>“There are people who don’t?” Casey asked. </p><p>After all this time, maybe she had finally gotten the girl.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alternatively titled: Casey Novak Carries a Torch for the Better Part of Two Decades, Might Get the Girl</p><p>Thank you for reading! Come hang out with me on <a href="https://whiteberryx.tumblr.com">tumblr</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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